Universal reproducer



W. G. SHELTON.

UNIVERSAL REPRODUCER. -APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1911. RENEWED JUNE 6,1921.

1,392,0 2, r E E PatentedSept. 27,1921.

".Fqq A %TNEssEs= L W By ttorneys,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. Y

WILLIAM GENTRY snnntron, or'ivnw YORK, N.

UNIVERSAL REPRODUCER.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 27, 1921- Application filed November 21, 1917, Serial No. 203,153. Renewed June 6, 1921. Serial No. 475,555.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VILLIAM SHELTON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Universal Reproducers, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to talking machines, and has for an object to provide a reproducer which is capable of operation by any of the present commercial forms of talking machine or phonograph records. At the present time there are two types'which predominate; namely: one wherein the tracing element of the reproducer is moved by means of undulations at the-bottom of ag'roove, and the other wherein such element is moved by the sinuosities of the groove.

In order to make therecords interchahge' able between these two classes of instruments, it has been necessary to provide-two sound boxes'with complete apparatus According to my present invention but one soundbox is necessary and this will auto matically accommodate itselito whichever type of record is presented to it. i

In the drawings accompanying this speci ficatiolnone practicable embodiment of the invention is illustrated, applied to a wellknown form of sound box, inwhich drawings v Figure 1 is an under-side view of a sound box equipped with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1, some of the parts being broken away to reveal the parts lying beyond.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of some of the parts illustrated in Fig. 2, the record in this view being of the hill-and-dale type.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on a plane at about the line 4- 1 of Fig. 2, looking from the right-hand side, or in the direction of the arrows, the record in this view being intended to represent the lateral type, and

Fig. 5 is a section taken on a plane at about the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 looking from the left-hand side, or in the direction of the arrows:

In the type of sound box herein illustrated there is provided a suitable neck 6 adapted for connection with the sound arm GENTRY lateral sides of the extending arms 20-20 at each-side.

The point or stylus for following the rec-' ord groove is illustrated at -1 1. This is made of some material suitable foruse upon the various kinds of records'which are to be employed. The point 14 is shown mounted in a head 15 of a lever 16, such lever being supported'by pivots 17- 17 carried by brackets 18 -18 formed integrally upon the bottom of the weighted member 11 and ad jacent to the opening 19, passing through the same; such opening being-for the operative connection between the lever and the diaphragm; The rear end of the lever is shown of T-for'mation, there being later ei lly he pivots 17-17 engage a bearing head 16 in which the lever 16 is mounted for oscillation, such lever having a cylindrical opening in the head'16 suitable shoulders, of course, being'formed on the lever at the re-' spective-sides of the head 16 *to prevent axial movement, but permit free oscillation. Chains 21-21 connect the outer ends of the arms 20-2O with the lower portion of the diaphragm or in the present illustration, with a suitable dependent connector 22 provided for that purpose.

is employed, wherein the undulations 26 at the bottom of the groove act upon the point 14-, the lever 16 is oscillated upon the pivots 17-17 and such oscillation is communicated to the diaphragm 9 by means of the chains 2121, acting together. When, however, it is desired to use the reproducer on a record of the lateral type, as for instance that illustrated at 27 in Fig. 4:, wherein the sinuosities on the sides of the grooves 28 operate upon the point 14 for moving this from side to side, such side-to-side movement rocks the lever upon its bearing portions 16 and draws down on one or the other of the chains as it moves from one side to the other.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that this reproducer may be used on either type of record referred to or upon a record in which both systems are employed. It will also be obvious that the operator having records of both types will be perfectly free to place either record upon the instrument and pay no attention to adjustments, since the apparatus automatically accommodates itself to whichever record is presented to it.

Although but one embodiment of the invention is shown in the illustrative example above described, yet it will be apparent that changes may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

. It, of course, is understood that the presentinvention is to be employed in connection with suitable apparatus for moving the record and controlling, operating and supporting the sound box.

I claim: I I Y '1. In a sound reproducer, the combination with a diaphragm, of a stylus adapted to traverse the groove of a talking machine record, a support for such Stylus mounted to permit the stylus to respond in accord ance with undulations at the bottom of thestylus by either said undulations at thesides of the record groove or at the bottom of the record groove.

2. In a sound reproducer, the combination with a'diaphragm of a lever pivoted upon two axes disposed transversely one of the other, said lever being provided with a stylus adapted to traverse the groove of a talking machine record, and a dual functioning connection between said stylus and diaphragm transmitting movements to said diaphragm which are imparted to said stylus by either said undulations at the sides of the record groove or at the bottom of the record groove.

3. In a sound reproducer, the combination with a diaphragm of a member supporting the same, a weighted member pivoted thereto, a lever pivoted to such weighted member upon two axes disposed transversely one of the other, said lever being provided with a stylus adapted to traverse the groove of a talking machine record and being connected with the diaphragm in such manner that the stylus is adapted to automatically respond to either undulations at the bottom of the record groove or undulations at the sides thereof for actu-j ating the diaphragm. 4:. The sound reproducer according to claim 3 wherein the lever is provided with a T-shaped end and chains are connected to the ends of the T-head andto a singl point on the diaphragm. c p

5. A sound reproducer comprising a diaphragm a single stylus, means permitting both lateral and vertical vibratory movement of said stylus, and dual functioning means between said stylus and diaphragm transmitting either the vertical or lateral vibratory movements of said stylus to said diaphragm.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

WILLIAM GENTRY SHELTON. 

